Salahdin || Part 1 - The Boy Becomes The Soldier The Abbasid caliphate has crumbled. The vast Islamic empire that once stretched from India to Spain has now been fragmented. Spain is beyond Abbasid control, Egypt is taken over by the Fatimid dynasty, and the northern frontiers
are under Seljuk control. Even part of the Levant and the holy land are lost to the Christian crusader forces. The unification of all the Muslims under one banner is now a dream long gone. But still today we talk about this era with great interest, as one of the most important turn of events in history. The influence of this era still shapes the idea of chivalry and glory in popular culture. Films are made, books are written. Comics and games are created. From children to adults, people still reminisce about those days. Even after almost 800 years, the legends of this era influence the geopolitics of the Middle east. And all these are mostly because of the work of one single man, Salahdin the righteous. He was the last great sultan of the Abbasid caliphate. More than that he was the last sultan who had a dream and dared to make it a reality. The dream of a unified Islamic force, the dream of reinstating the legacy and honour of the caliphate, the dream of a free Jerusalem, free from the crusaders. Yet, Salahdin did not have one swift victory after another like any other great conquerors. He tried, he failed, he persisted, learnt from his mistakes and came back stronger. He was bold, dutiful, and intelligent, yet his reign was filled with setbacks, treachery, and disappointments. That is why Salahdin is so beloved. He is not like a hero from ancient mythology with super powers. Rather he is more of a human, flesh and bone. He is a hero not because he was the chosen one, rather because he was courageous enough to be one. He chose himself to become the one. As we dive into his life in the next couple of weeks, we will see how this hero was forged in hardship and courage. In the year 1149. A young boy of 10, named Yousuf ibn Ayyub was playing in the yard of his home. Suddenly he heard a call from the minaret of the mosque. The Zengid Sultan, Nur ad-Din Zengi, has returned victorious after a decisive battle with the crusaders in Edessa. Edessa is now part of the Islamic Zengid Dynasty. Hearing this news people flood the streets in victory procession. The bravery and praise of Nur ad-Din is on everyone’s tongue. Young Yousuf joins the rally as well. This event will have an everlasting effect on his young mind. Fighting the crusaders and bringing back the lost glory of the Muslims, will set the course of his life. Young Yousuf will grow up, one day to be recognized as Salahdin. At the age of 15, Salahdin moved to Damascus with his family to complete his study. Damascus was then the Capital of Zengid Dynasty, seat of Nur ad-Din. Salahdin joined a madrassa in Damascus. We can think of a madrassa like a high school in the modern era. Salahdin started learning about geometry, algebra, geography as well as the Quran and other fields of Islamic studies. At the same time, he was taken under the mentorship of his Uncle, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh. Shirkuh was a general under Nur ad-Din. He was a man of solid build, a battle-hardened warrior. He lost one of his eyes in a battle and so used to wear a patch. These made him an imposing character. Under the mentorship of Shirkuh, Salahdin started learning about military tactics and swordsmanship. [Sword Sound] After completing the training, Salahdin joined Shirkuh’s battalion and entered regular military service in Zengid army. The time has come for Salahdin to be of service to his childhood hero, Nur ad-Din. Meanwhile in Egypt, a power struggle has erupted between two viziers of the Fatimid caliphate. The Fatimids were a Shia dynasty and the Abbasids were Sunni. Sunni and Shia are the major two denominations of Islam. Historically the 2 dynasties are rivals of one another. Anyway back to Egypt. The two viziers trying to capture the de facto rule of Egypt were Sharwan and Dirgham. Sharwan was driven out of Egypt by his rival Dirgham. Sharwan asked for help from Nur ad din. So in 1163 Nur ad din sent in an army under the command of Shirkuh to Egypt. Salahdin also joined the army under his uncle’s command. Salahdin did not play any major role at this point. But the events that are about to unfold will be his first real lesson in military tactics and politics. So, we will look into these events, to understand how the stage was set for Salahdin. With the help of Shirkuh’s military prowess, Sharwan was reinstated as the grand vizier of Egypt. Shirkuh garrisoned his army near Cairo to support Sharwan’s rule. But as time passed by the presence of a Sunni army in the heartland of the Shia dynasty started creating political friction in the Fatimid court. Sharwan was under great pressure to drive the Zengid army out of Egypt. But he himself had invited them here. And without the support of this army it will not be possible for him to hold on to the power. So Sharwan started shopping for a new ally. Between the border of Fatimid Egypt and Zengid levant sat the kingdom of Jerusalem, a crusader state under the reign of Amalric. Sharwan established a secret alliance with Amalric and plotted to attack the Zengid army from both sides. Shirkuh and his army were stationed in a place called Bilbeis. They were attacked by Amalric from North East and by Sharwan from South West. This betrayal put the Zengid army in a critical situation. They were not strong enough to break through the lines of the crusader to retreat to Syria. Neither could they fall back to Cairo, because of Sharwan’s betrayal. Seeing no other option to save his army, Shirkuh sent a message to Nur ad-Din for aid. Nur ad din was enraged by the betrayal. He had sent his army in good faith to help his ally in Egypt. But that same ally had now plotted to destroy his army by the help of crusaders. How dare Sharwan betray Nur ad din’s trust!! Yet Nur ad din was a clever ruler. He did not act in haste. His main goal now was to save one of his most prominent generals and his force. He couldn't let his army be destroyed by the crusaders. If that meant not take revenge for Sharwan’s betrayal now, so be it. There will be a time later
to set the balance straight. Nur ad din could not send reinforcement to Egypt for Shirkuh’s aid, as that would take a long time and he was afraid that Shirkuh would not be able to hold off the enemy for long. So, he devised a plan to deter Amalric’s campaign in Egypt. Nur ad din assembled a strike force and attacked to the county of Tripoli. Not related to the current Libyan capital. The county of Tripoli was another crusader state and an ally of Amalric. So when Nur ad din attacked Tripoli, Amalric had to stop his advancement in Egypt and sent part of his troops back to defend Tripoli. This gave Shirkuh a window to move his forces back to Syria and save his army. And he took that opportunity. The Zengid army was safe for now. But Nur ad din and Shirkuh did not forget the betrayal by Sharwan. To plot with the crusaders against fellow Muslims could not go unpunished. They were waiting for the right opportunity. The opportunity came in 1168. When Amalric broke his alliance with Egypt and attacked Cairo. Amalric always had his eyes on Egypt. Not only for expansion of his territory, but also for the vast riches of Egypt. The weak rule of Sharwan gave him the perfect chance to attack. Amalric assembled his naval force and sailed towards Cairo though the Nile delta. Egypt was too weak to defend itself under Sharwan’s rule. So The Fatimid caliph, Al-Adid begged Nur ad din to come and rescue Egypt. This was the moment that Nur ad din was waiting for. All these years of waiting in patience for the sweet taste of revenge, had finally paid off. If they enter Egypt now as a liberating force, they would have the support of the people of Egypt to depose Sharwan. And as a bonus they will also be able to defeat the crusaders in yet another battle. So, the Zengids under the command of Shirkuh marched into Egypt. Salahdin joined the expedition as well, this time as the commander
of a battalion of the army. The Zengids and the crusaders came face to face at a place called al-Babein, West of Giza, near the desert border of Nile. The Zengids chose this location intentionally for a strategic advantage which will become obvious later during the battle. For the time being Salahdin took control of the right wing of the army and Shirkuh took the central command. The crusader army was greater in number and stronger in arms than the Zengids. So Shirkuh and Salahdin started discussing a battle strategy to make those advantages of the crusaders ineffective. They came up with a clever plan. Salahdin will impersonate the central commander of the army and pretend his soldiers were the central contingent. Shirkuh did not station all of his troops in the battlefield and hid part of them behind the dunes in the desert. As the crusaders did not realize the plan, they charged with full might towards the Zengid central force. This was the moment Salahdin had been preparing for all of his military life. If he couldn't defeat the enemy with sheer strength, he will do it through strategy. As planned, Salahdin staged a feigned retreat. He commanded his army to fall back into the desert. The crusaders chased Salahdin and fell right into his trap. The heavy cavalry of the crusaders lost their advantage in the steep and sandy terrain. They could not move quickly. Whereas the lighter Zengid cavalry could move much faster on the same terrain. So the early advantage of the crusaders was lost. Their lines broke down and the battle was fragmented into smaller skirmishes rather than a concentrated central attack. Shirkuh was waiting for that exact moment. He took his reserve force and returned to the offensive, and at the same time Salahdin turned back with his force and launched a counterattack from the other side. Stuck between the dual offenses, the crusader army was completely crushed. This was the first sign of Salahdin’s military genius. His first taste of victory against the crusaders. From now on Salahdin is no more a bystander, he now has an active role to play. The young boy inspired by the tales of defeating the crusaders, is now capable of defeating the crusaders
on his own. Join us next time as we explore the early years of Salahdin’s administrative and military career. How he becomes the grand vizier, protects Egypt yet from another crusader attack, strengthens the nation, and eventually becomes the Sultan of Egypt.
The artistic style is great.
Best guy
Great Kurdish hero.
يا الله قديش نحن بحاجة له الان. اتعتقدون ان مثله ياتي قريبا؟